St Eloi Lupopo Aim More Shots at Orlando Pirates - ‘Sundowns Were Better Hosts’

Love is not lost between St Eloi Lupopo and Orlando Pirates as the Congolese side has taken another swipe at the South African giants.

Pirates and Lupopo have become football enemies since their ill-tempered CAF Champions League second preliminary round match, which the Congolese club won on post-match penalties after a 3-3 on aggregate.

The match, especially the second leg in Johannesburg, had plenty of incidents with right-back Dieumerci Mukoko causing a stir with his theatrics that riled Pirates’ players and fans.

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Pirates also complained of being mistreated in Lubumbashi before, during and after the first leg tie, while the Congolese side expressed their displeasure over how they were welcomed.

Since the game, the two clubs have been trading accusations with Pirates going ahead to file an appeal at CAF over the eligibility of two Lupopo players and their coach for the match, which they have since lost, while the Soweto giants complained about Mukoko’s behaviour that went unpunished, leading to a two-game suspension for the defender.

With Lupopo returning to South Africa for their group stage game against Mamelodi Sundowns last week, assistant coach Yassine Salmi praised the Brazilians for being great hosts compared to Pirates.

“Sundowns is a special club,” Salmi told the media after his team lost 3-1 in Pretoria on Saturday. “Hospitality here is very good.”

“Thanks to Sundowns, the hospitality here is very good. If I compare to last month, it is different between the two clubs. They have my respect so Sundowns thank you for the hospitality,” he added.